Syrian "Rebels" Attack, Burn Aleppo Evacuation Buses
By Tyler Durden
While the UN condemns Syrian and Russian atrocities in the battle over East Aleppo, which as noted previously was a key victory for the Assad regime in the past week and likely to sway the balance in the ongoing war between regime forces and US-coalition armed rebels, little attention has been paid to the subversive tactics employed by such “moderate rebels” as the al Qaeda linked al-Nusra front. That may change after several buses en route to evacuate the sick and injured from two government-held villages in Syria’s Idlib province were attacked and burned by rebels.
PHOTOS: Reports coming in that an “unknown rebel group” has attacked buses going to evacuate civilians from Kafraya and Fuah – @Ald_Aba pic.twitter.com/7xMPhumeu5
— Conflict News (@Conflicts) December 18, 2016
MORE: According to reports, civilians had not yet gotten on the buses. They were on their way to pick them up when the attack happened.
— Conflict News (@Conflicts) December 18, 2016
As BBC reports, the convoy was travelling to Foah and Kefraya, besieged by rebel fighters. Pro-government forces have been demanding that people be allowed to leave the mainly Shia villages in order for the evacuation of east Aleppo to restart, with thousands of people waiting to leave in desperate conditions, reports say.
VIDEO: Footage shows JFS (al-Nusra) members attacking evacuation buses – @24Aleppo
— Conflict News (@Conflicts) December 18, 2016
The initial plan to evacuate eastern Aleppo collapsed on Friday, leaving civilians stranded at various points along the route out without access to food or shelter.
PHOTOS: Other buses have however arrived in Kafraya and Fuah – @sayed_ridha
— Conflict News (@Conflicts) December 18, 2016
Despite delays caused by disagreements over the new evacuation plan, convoys were said to be travelling to both eastern Aleppo and the government-held villages in Idlib province on Sunday. However, UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said six buses were attacked and torched on the way to Foah and Kefraya.
It had reported earlier that the “moderate rebel” group Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, formerly known as the Nusra Front, was preventing buses entering the villages.
As a reminder, earlier in the year, Jabhat Al-Nusra, rebranded itself Jabhat Fateh Al-Sham, a cosmetic change which was apparently sufficient to convince the US government to brand them “moderates” and send them arms and equipment, equipment which today may have been used against innocent Syrian citizens.
Syrian state media said “armed terrorists” attacked five buses, burned and destroyed them.
Rebel groups have not yet commented on the attack.
Source: Syrian "Rebels" Attack, Burn Aleppo Evacuation Buses
